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Italian Words
Here is a simple glossary that you may find useful in understanding some Italian when watching the videos. The words listed here are those that in particular relate to Sarah & Veronica, phrases used in the Grande Fratello house and amongst the housemates. Please add any words you find necessary or relevant. A Note on Italian Dialects As explained by by sappivu & Livia on AE. Here in Italy every region has it's own dialect and accent. I love all dialects and accents because they all have something special and Italy is beautiful also for this reason. The original Italian language is historically considered to be the one spoken in Florence but things have changed a lot since Dante Alighieri :) Southern dialects have had the influence of Greek, Spanish, French, Arabic... they have many words coming from those languages. Nothern dialects have had influences of French, German, East European languages... It's still very hard to describe it in plain words. What's important is to distinguish between accents and dialects: In America you have different accents but the language remains the same. In Italy there are regional dialects and they are sometimes very different, so much that for me it's hard to understand Sicilian dialect, even though Sicily is part of Southern Italy. It's a totally different language, with different syntax and words. For example, Sarah may speak in Italian but you can still hear her accent is from Naples. Or she can speak in the Neapolitan dialect and I would understand nothing. Sarah has a Neapolitan accent, and she has to work on it if she wants to do movies. Although, Sophia Loren is from Napoli (and her accent is still pretty strong), so you might recognize the same patterns. Actually, the Neapolitan dialect has the status of a language, since it has its own literature. In general, southern accents tend to close the vowels while nothern accents open them a lot. Veronica has a Roman accent, which is understood pretty much by everyone, and you hear it a lot on TV too. Mara also speaks Roman, so you have no problems understanding her. The Roman and Tuscany accents are those more understable by everyone. Also in Milan if they speak Italian you can understand them very well, but if they talk the Milanese dialect you understand nothing. Carmen and Carmela both have a Sicilian accent, but are from two different cities. Carmen's accent is from Palermo, and it's really bad to hear. I don't know where Carmela is from, but a characteristic of her accent is that she opens all the vowels when she talks. It's very funny, and even MDGF (Mai Dire Grande Fratello, the show after the Monday live show) makes fun of her for this reason. Massimo and Nicola are both from Bari, and they close all the vowels instead. However Massimo, can't even complete his sentences properly most times and therefore comes across as uneducated. Nowadays pretty much everyboody speaks standard Italian (except my grandparents), but with their own accent. The origins of an Italian speaker are easily trackable by his accent (but you have to be Italian or a very good Italian speaker to grasp it). A Abbraccio = Hug Allora = Then, In that case Amo' (short for amore) = Luv (love). Ti amo, amore! = I love you, love. Amore = Love Anche = Also, Even Aspetta = Wait. Aspettami = Wait for me. Like Veronica asks Sarah to do at elimination and as Sarah declares she will do "with open arms", when they meet again, divided by the glass. Assolutamente = Absolutely B Bacio = Kiss Ballare = To dance Ballo = Dance Basta = (That's) Enough! (Common Italian expression, used a little differently than in English)/That's all Bellissimo/a = Very beautiful Bello/a = Beautiful Bisessuale/Bisex = Bisexual Buongiorno = Good morning C Cambio batteria = Change batteries. A phrase used by GF asking housemates to go to the laundry room to pick up new batteries for their microphones. Capito = Understand/Got it? Capodanno = New Year's Day : Veronica: "Tonight you are my New Year's Day!" : Sarah: "And you are mine!" : The dialogue between Sarah and Veronica before their kiss on New Year's Day. Casa = Home/house Cazzaro = someone telling umbelievable (and made up) stories. It's how Veronica called Gianluca a lot. Certo = Yes/Certainly Che palle = An Italian expresssion meaning "what balls", to say something is boring/annoying. Ciao = Hello/Goodbye Comunque = However Comunque sia = Whatever Coppia = Couple Con = With : E.g. "Vero siamo con te e il sogno" ("Vero we are with you and the dream"). The banner of the plane which flew over the house of Grande Fratello on 03/02/2009, a surprise for Veronica from the girls of Mari*'s channel on Youtube to show their support for her and 'il sogno'. Confessionale = Confession room. The housemates are called there many times, see why. Coniglietta = Bunny (fem). Often used in reference to Sarah, as she was the first playmate of the new Italian edition of Playboy. Cubista = Go-go or platform dancer. Often used in reference to Veronica, as this was her previous night job. Cucciola = Puppy (fem). A reference/nickname to Veronica. Culo (vulgar for "sedere/fondoschiena") = Ass, Butt Cuore = Heart D Dai = Come on! (To say "stop it", or "do it") Dentro = Inside Dichiarazioni = Statements, declararations Doccia = Shower Domani = Tomorrow Dopo = Later, after Diarrea = diarrhoea, used in Italian idiomatic expression "Ho la diarrea"/I have diarrhoea, that stands for "Give me a kiss". Just kidding. E E = And E' = Is Ecco = Here/That's it Eccomi = I'm here F Figa = Attractive girl. (Caution using this word because it's also a vulgar term for pussy). Veronica & Sarah often sing: "Figa da paura (freaking) Sa'". Forza = Strength Fuori = Outside. As in the real world outside the Grande Fratello house. Often used in this context by the girls. It can also mean after the show is over, or the future of their realtionship. : = Out, as evicting someone from the house. E.g. "Mauro fuori!" = "Mauro out!" G Gelosa = Jealous (fem.) Giorno = Day Grande Fratello = Big Brother. Also referred to as "Grande Fra", or "GF" (like "jeff-eh") Gattamorta = lit. Dead cat (fem). You can be one or act like one. It's a flirting genre. It's a subtle game of appealing men while rejecting them. If it's well done, there is nothing you can hold against her. I Ieri = Yesterday Io = I/Me K ke = Che = That/What. As written on the Internet. L Lei = She Lesbica = Lesbian (noun/adjective). : E.g. When Veronica says: "Io non sono lesbica" = "I am not a lesbian", we all believe her. See infamous Video as proof & the funny Io Non Sono Lesbica blog. Letto = Bed Lite = Quarrel Loro = They/Them Lui = He Lunedi = Monday. Often referred to and an important day because the Grande Fratello 3-hour live show (9 p.m. - 12 a.m.) is hosted weekly on this day. Evictions, nominations, and new housemates are also presented on this day. M Mai = Never Mattina = Morning Meraviglioso (Meravijoso = neapolitan dialect) = Marvelous/Wonderful. E.g. How Sarah described her kiss with Veronica. Mannaggia la miseria! = Damn! (Sarah uses this a lot) Minimo! = It's the least (you can say). Sarah uses this a lot. N Non ci credo = I don't believe it Normale = Normal Notte = Night O Ovvio = Obviously/Of course P Pasquale = A man's name. It is a negative nickname used around the house for Sarah. : Sarah once said she had mostly male friends and from hanging out with them a lot, she behaved like them and they started calling her with a male name, as if she was one of them. Patata = Potato, but used as a euphemism for "pussy". Paura = Fear Piace = Like. Mi piace = I like it. Ti piace = You like it. Ci piace = We like it. : Ci Piace is a phrase used (firstly by Maicol) a lot around the house, and became a kind of house expression. So much so that GF had shirts made for all the housemates with "Ci Piace" written on them, and gave it to them (via the laundry room) as gifts. Ci is pronounced like "chee". Piangere = To cry. Something Veronica tries not to do every week, as says she won't do, but aw, we love her just the same when she does. Pit = is the nickname for Massimo, as he looks like a Pitbull Perché = Why/Because Puntata = It's how to tell monday's program Punto = Full stop/Period Q Quando = When. Quindi = Then... (An Italian expression) R Ragazzi = Guys/Housemates. Raga is the short, colloquial form. Ragazze = Girls Rodere = to gnaw. It's used mostly to express annoyance coming from envy. The verb is used also in some Roman expression (vulgar) like "Me rode er culo" which is typically Veronica's S Sà = Short for Sarah. Sometimes a nickname Veronica uses. Scherzare = To joke ("Sto scherzando" = I'm joking/I'm kidding) Sempre = Always/Ever. Per sempre = Forever. Sera = Evening Settimana = Week Siamo = (We) Are Sicuro/a = Sure/Certain (Vero asked Sarah before their first public kiss on capodanno) Sogno = Dream. It is the word Sarah & Veronica used to describe their relationship (and circumstance). Stasera = Tonight Sticazzi = roman slang for What the fuck?! (cazzo = dick) Caution using these words. Stronzata (or "cazzata") = Bullshit. Caution using this word. T Tranquilla = Don't worry/Be calm Trombare = An euphemism for "to fuck". (In English, to better understand where the phrase comes from, trombare literally means to trumpet, but it is mostly used as a euphemism in Italian.) Troppo = Too many/Too much Tu = You Tutto = All/Everything U Un po' = A bit V Va bene = Okay. Sometimes shortened to just "va be". Vaffanculo = Go fuck yourself. Like everyone tells Mauro to do all the time. Caution using this word. Ve = Short for Veronica. Sometimes a nickname Sarah uses. Veramente = Really Vero = True. Or a nickname for Veronica Vieni con me = Come with me Vieni qua/qui = Come here. Something Sarah often tells Veronica to do, and we'd really like to see her do more often.